[New Straits Times] Residents want rock-blasting stopped

29102008

~ Nuradzimmah Daim (picture by Adnan)

Teo (in baju kurung) listening to the residents’ complaints after the protest on Sunday. In the background is the house that was hit by flying rocks and debris caused by the rock-blasting exercise on Aug 28.

CHERAS: Residents of Bandar Damai Perdana in Cheras are furious at the rock-blasting conducted by a developer.

After three years of complaining to the developer and the local authority, they now hope that the state government would step in and stop the developer for good.

The last straw, they said, was the incident on Aug 28 which caused damage to about 50 houses, after rocks from the site, about 200 metres away, rained down on the area.

A contractor worker who was carrying out renovation works on a corner house in Jalan Damai Perdana 10/3F received a few stitches on his right arm while the house, which was the nearest to the site was badly damaged by rocks and debris from the site.

During a protest on Sunday, the residents handed a memorandum to Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching and voiced concerns about their safety.
One of house owners affected by the incident, Stanley Chan, 35, said although a stop-work order had been issued by the Kajang Municipal Council, they were still afraid that these incidents would re-occur once the developer was allowed to resume work.

“We want some assurance by the government that the developer will not carry out any more rock-blasting exercises. Also, we want the developer to bear the repair costs for houses affected by the last and previous exercises.

“We also want the developer to show us the geo-technical reports as we fear that the rock-blasting would affect the slopes here. The developer should use safer, alternative methods,” said Chan.

Another resident of Jalan Damai Perdana 7/1D said she has felt tremors caused by the exercises since she moved in two years ago.

“The developer didn’t inform us about the rock-blasting exercises when we first bought the house. Later we discovered cracks on the walls and complained to them. The contractors would then come to repair the damage but the problem persists. Now the developer refuses to do anything because the the warranty period of 18 months has expired,” she said.

About 300 residents were present to sign the petition that would also be handed to the Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.